This leaning out-of-the-box house design may make you feel dizzy. But you will feel better if you see the inside and know the story behind it.
“The property itself was an odd shape, four sides, but not with equal lengths, so it wasn’t expensive,” said Sirisak Thammasiri, the owner and designer of this slanting house.
“But it had charm, a nice natural look, and I designed it with terrain features in mind.”
The image of the first floor presents big open space with a light and cool metal stairway.
When Sirisak was little, his run and play space was the dikes separating flooded rice paddies with mountains in the backdrop.
So he designed his house as one big box popping up out of the ground, bringing a feeling and memory of the mountains to mind.
There’s also a grass lawn in the front yard to remind him of the good old days running in the fields.
The stairs, walls, and roofing are designed with inclined surfaces and diagonal lines. He got the idea from the bicycle frame and was struck by the strength of diagonals.
Sirisak has found a challenge in designing unconventionally and drawing on concepts from the outside of textbook architecture.
Beams extend outwards seven meters at an angle to the ground. Clever design makes the drainage plane of the wall a part of the roof.
In the meantime, the roof also doubles as the exterior wall. The house sits facing south, so the front facade is surfaced with wood to protect the house from afternoon sun.
The interior living space gives the feeling of airy comfort. Windows abound, which helps with ventilation and openness. They allow natural light in and save electricity.
Downstairs, the living room connects seamlessly to the pantry, and through it to the split-level kitchen.
Not far, a set of stairs crafted of bent steel plates leads to bedrooms above. The second floor boasts beautiful glass paneling designed to take in panoramic views of the mountain landscape.
Sirisak takes in pure mountain air from the second floor balcony, his favorite hangout.
“For this odd shape, the folks around here have given it several names, including ‘the house with laid-back shape,’ ‘the slanting house,’ ‘the boat-shaped home,’ and even ‘that house that points towards the sky,’” he said jokingly.
“My neighbors were always asking things like: ‘Don’t you get dizzy inside that thing?’ Or ‘How can it possibly be comfortable in there?’ Sometimes I invited them in for a look-see.”
To achieve his goals, Sirisak needed a fair amount of confidence and courage to be different in a stylish way. That’s what it means to have a passion for this out-of-the-box house design.
“This house itself is like a teacher to me. It gets me running experiments all the time,” said the owner.
A good life begins at home. This beautiful contemporary house is, no doubt, a reflection of that, plus it provides a fine example of how limitations or site issues can be overcome. Because the land has a narrow frontage to the street, the house is built right up close to a neighboring home. So every square meter counts and has to be used wisely.
On the whole, it’s a visually stunning design. The modern-style home boasts a distinctive atmosphere that gives it a European flavor. Especially worthy of attention is an intriguing combination of materials such as stone masonry and craftsmanship in the metalwork.
From the outside the house doesn’t appear large, but inside, it’s actually quite spacious. The building has three floors; the first of which holds a common area consisting of a living room, dining room and pantry. The second and third floors are for rest and relaxation.
Gorgeous privacy fence ideas boast the beauty of stone masonry, wood and metalwork gracing the main entryway.The living room is well-appointed and uncluttered, thanks to there being only a few pieces of furniture. The coffee table at the center has hidden drawers for easy storage.
To build the home on a long and narrow lot, the design team at Workspace Architecture Studiocomes up with a stretched house plan that puts as much usable floor space as possible in the front and back, yet still leaves enough room for a courtyard filled with fresh greenery for year-round decorating.
The dining room is decorated in a modern style with a mild classic flavor from stone furniture, candelabra-like ceiling lamps and a cross-shaped table legs.A beautifully patterned granite-topped table and leather chairs give the room a classy but relaxed atmosphere.
To overcome construction site limitations, classic design concepts are brought into practical use. Among others, beams and pillars are built in a way that blends with interior décor, while other support structures provide decorative continuity and spots to conveniently hide electric wiring.
A black steel-frame staircase offset with vertical lines gives the interior a light and airy feel.Dimmed light in the room builds a warm mood for soft and airy interiors. Décor is mainly of granite and wood while an opening is provided for ventilation and natural light.Bathroom décor of natural wood blends well with white and gray.
The overall effect is impressive. Authentic material surfaces, including stone masonry, metalwork, wood and brass, are left exposed for aesthetic and functional reasons. The stone surface, especially, has its own unique pattern. It’s also durable, lasting for decades, and capable of adding to the variety of textures in the house.
A high-ceilinged bedroom comes in soft-colored décor. Recessed ceiling lights add dimension, creating an illusion of an even taller space.The room for working and reading is located on the top floor. The true surface of the wood beams is exposed for the hint of a loft environment.
As for furnishings, the decorative accessories and furniture, both floating and built-in, are very much a part of the custom design. They are thoughtfully devised to create a harmonious look and, at the same time, perform a dual role in overcoming site limitations and fulfilling the house owners’ needs.
At the end of the day, it’s about making this contemporary home a happy place for everyone in the family.
Due to limited space, the courtyard and swimming pool are narrowly aligned along the outside of the building. Yet there’s room for plants to thrive luxuriantly along the fence wall for privacy and relaxation.
Good ventilation, the core concept of traditional Thai houses, is adapted for the modern age in this contemporary house. From the outside it looks slick and belonging to the present, but this building has the heart and soul of conventional Thai residential architecture.
The owner has been living in this house with his father and mother since he was young. Now he has a wife and kids, and it’s become too cramped to hold all of them. But instead of moving elsewhere, the young couple built a new place where there used to be a garden right next to the old house.
The new design connects the two homes both inside and out, so family members can easily take part in common activities. This modern living concept is actually not a new one, but arose out of the structure and functionality of houses of earlier times.
[Left] To fit the unusual shape of the building and glass walls on two sides, furniture in this fashionable high-ceilinged reception parlor is positioned diagonally. / [Right] A colorful painting with chic graphic patterns adds panache to a light-colored room, brightening up the straightforward house design.[Left] Reception parlor design follows the traditional Thai “Sala” concept. The room is enclosed by glass walls that open wide to the natural world of plants and trees outside. / [Right] The bathroom has uniquely stylish lines.
There’s a pantry in the middle of the house plan, a nice place for family members to sit and talk.
The dining room and living room are similar to an open “Sala” in a traditional Thai house. All the rooms are connected through a large wooden balcony. Both buildings share a main entryway, carports and service areas.
A staircase runs along the wall of the entryway with high ceilings, creating a relaxing visual effect.The continuing space from the first floor to the hallway on the second floor is bright and airy, clearly visible from a wide-angle perspective.The living room on the second floor has a large window with a view of the old house.
Inside there are lots of windows for good ventilation. Beautiful large trees such as Black Afara (scientific name: Terminalia Ivorensis) are planted all about to provide shade. Excellent landscape architecture components such as ponds, a rock garden, and pathways paved with flagstones are added for a relaxing mood.
Trees and shrubs planted outside the bedroom give a nice view and enhance privacy.
This contemporary house is an example of how a residence you love can be expanded and transformed beyond its limitations into a bigger home. As this family has discovered, you don’t always have to abandon the old ways to find happiness.
[Left] To make good use of daylight, a small skylight is cut in the upstairs bathroom. / [Right] The main staircase projects out from the wall. Light cream-colored genuine wood paneling and a clear glass railing make the stair look light, as if floating.The house extends out above the outdoor family area while requiring only minimal support posts.
/ Story: Ekkarat Laksanasamrit / English version: Peter Montalbano /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
A person’s sense of proportion in creating a house to suit his own lifestyle can have energizing results. We recently visited a modern steel framed home in Bangkok’s Viphavadi Rangsit area that illustrated this. Nutt Chenyawanit, owner of Tin Home Toy merchandise, designed this house as a reflection of his identity.
A high pitched gable roof and bare concrete surfaces set at varying depths for a modern appeal.
From details of home décor, such as galvanized iron and stylish plant containers, to the overall house design, we saw a modern steel framed home that retained the flavor of Tropical architecture.
Open and relaxed in a traditional house style reduced to essentials, with a high pitched gable roof, extended eaves and awnings for sun and rain protection, this house with a modern appeal looks the epitome of good design, one that holds the secret to what makes people happy in life. An it looks fun to live in, too.
We asked the homeowner for his thoughts on design. He explained: “We like high ceilings; low ones feel cramped. The living room and stairwell area reaches up a full two stories, and elsewhere on the ground floor ceilings are generally three meters or higher. On the second floor, ceilings follow the roof slope, for the most part.”
The exception is the master bedroom, which has a standard ceiling height. “Bedrooms with high ceilings feel too buoyant,” he said.
The carport beneath an attractive latticework awning that blocks sun and rain.The entry area has eaves overhanging the walls reaching out 4 meters, both aesthetic and practical.
The Tin Home Toy office building next door, built in a similar style, was here before the house and now is separated from it by a swimming pool. Nutt favors architecture with steel-based frames that give it a raw cool modern style.
The metal post-and-beam design for floor and roof here made for rapid construction and quick cleanup. It presents a stylish façade of show brick walls and glass panels.
Next to the garden a metal-frame eave filters sunlight above a rest area, keeping it cool and comfortable even in bright sunlight.The walkway around the house is set out in straightforward lines using low-maintenance materials such as concrete patio pavers.
Extended eaves, large doors and windows provide good ventilation and make the house comfortable for living. Metal frameworks minimize the need of support posts for the extended eaves, freeing more space for parking. High ceilings allow warm air to rise and exit through upstairs windows.
The different textures of metal, glass, concrete, and wood mix and match well. The swimming pool is a great feature, beneficial for both the home and the office next door.The living room with a double height ceiling is open wide on two sides to catch the sun so artificial light isn’t needed.
Usable space on the ground floor holds the living room, stairwell, dining room, kitchen, and service areas like a storeroom and laundry. Upstairs consists of bedrooms and a workroom. Hallways are at least 2.5 meters wide for a spacious feel.
Walking around, a visitor has the sense that each space is made for specific purpose, some for children, some for moving around in comfort, some for convenience.
Old-fashioned shelving at the far end of the living room reaches up to the mezzanine.
Although the ceiling is really high, it has a horizontal dimension, too, as the mezzanine is filled with built-in cabinets and bookcases.A small storage space by the stairs for bicycles gives a hint about Nutt’s spare time activity.
A closer look at the details reveals a “set aside” concept that reflects the way good judgements are made. In this particular case, it shows in design innovations such as high ceilings that bring the sort of happiness and contentment we find in this modern steel framed home.
The master bedroom overlooking the garden is simply decorated in white and wood colors.The bedroom with windows opening into the bathroom: open, relaxed, and good ventilation.The ceiling follows the roof slope in this relatively large bathroom. An array of wooden shutters opens directly into the bedroom.One side of the dining room is a food preparation area; on the other a line of windows looks out over the carport.
Architect: Nutt Chenyawanit and Jirayut Chaiyajamrunphon
The architect and owner of Volume Matrix Studio Co., Ltd., Kasin Sornsri, and his wife Maiko Ishimoto have agreed to live in Thailand. Together, they incorporate Thai and Japanese influences in the design. The result is a calm and peaceful orchard home that embraces the charms of Oriental culture.
The house-on-stilts design is ideally suited for coastal areas in tropical climates. Situated on a piling foundation, the Oriental-style home provides outstanding outdoor space, good natural ventilation and precautions against flooding.
Blending two cultures together may seem to be hard, but good communication and understanding guide them through. “If you look closely, you’ll notice a hint of Japanese atmosphere mixing in the house,” Kasin said.
“The stilt floor is open, making it suitable to sit and relax on traditional Japanese furniture with a square latticework in the background. The floor is lower down on the side and covered with pebbles like a Zen garden. A 7-tatami-sized Japanese room is on the second floor.”
Decorative items come in warm earth tones. Fabric décor makes the overall look even more compelling.There are many large trees around the house. Looking out from the second or third floor, the view is of green trees and cool shades.
Kasin continued, “For comfort and utility, we use concrete flooring in some areas. It is easier to clean than a mat floor. I also designed some spare rooms for my wife’s relatives. Most are empty, equipped only with a bathroom, in case there are many guests at the same time.”
Poured concrete window frames that extend outward add artistry to the building both inside and out.
The house is situated in a tiny peaceful street on a property of nearly 16 acres. It once had four small houses surrounded by a mango orchard. The owner kept most of the orchard and didn’t cut any tree down.
The posts of this concrete balustrade alternate with gaps in between to keep them from being opaque. The stairway design is simple and strong.
This house with Oriental appeal was built right up against the fence to avoid disturbing the orchard. It has three levels that collectively act as a fortress hiding the orchard from the outside and enhancing privacy.
Each component of the house is humble and harmonizes with the natural surroundings. To accomplish a simple and uncomplicated look, the owner used pillars and beams and, at the same time, tried to keep equal thickness for all beams to cut the cost of wood.
An interesting surface of a building can be created by pressing faux wood against the wall. But make sure to choose a beautiful grain for this.
Most floors were constructed of prefabricated concrete, except bathrooms, balconies, and decks, which used poured concrete. Polished concrete walls were chosen because the material was easy to work with, suited for environmental conditions, and easy to find.
“I used foamed blocks instead of red bricks. The material is lighter, anti-heat, easier to construct and lowering overall weight for the house.” Kasin explained.
“Normal glass is preferred, not UV-filtered ones. So, natural light can enter. Box-like flaps were added to screen the light. They also act as ventilation pipes to draw fresh outdoor air into the home.
“For a little differentiation, I added a small amount of black color into polished concrete walls. It also blends well with mango trees in the orchard.”
Overall, the appeals of the Orient are in the details. Some parts of concrete walls are marked with patterns made by pressing a faux wood against the wall while the concrete was setting. Exterior walls are alternating between rough and smooth surfaces. With such attention to detail, the house is undoubtedly in a good hand.
The three-story house is not too obtrusive, as the design features unequal extension parts and uses a variety of materials.
Despite the building being long and narrow, a team of architects at Studiomake managed to turn it into a perfect home office integration that would inspire productivity. The Bangkok-based team of designers, architects and educators is known for its specialized skills and experience in various types of architecture.
When it came to designing their own home office, Orapan Sarasalin Schafer and David Schafer opted for an architectural steel design for its lightweight look that’s right for the prevailing climate in Thailand. It’s a layout that emphasizes an open, uncluttered living space with plenty of wall openings, windows and doors for good ventilation and heat dissipation.
Furniture in the workspace is movable. It can be easily arranged to avoid visual clutter and improve traffic flow, lighting and air quality.
By design, the building performs a dual role. The first floor holds a fully equipped office space, while the second floor is used as a residence. Overall, it’s thoughtfully devised planning made easily adjustable for future updates. The crossbeams resting across the tops of columns support weigh over an extra long span, five meters to be exact.
Home office design offers many benefits, among them the freedom to create the ideal work space like the owners intended, plus the peace and quiet that suits their lifestyle needs.
[Left] The work space is well lighted thanks to generous wall openings that let natural daylight stream into the interior. / [Right] A floor standing wall-mounted bookcase made of steel is designed by the homeowners. For practical purposes, the bookends are adjustable.
The workshop boasts high ceilings for better ventilation, plus it has ample space for equipment and tools needed to perform various tasks.
There is attention to detail in all parts, especially the integration of natural elements like plants and light into the built environment, making the interior work space feel light, airy and conducive to creativity. And they don’t come by accident. Rather, every building strategy and material is tested first to see if it’s suitable for a particular application.
This helps to understand whether a specific material is right for the task, plus it narrows down the choices to the best selection. And the same careful consideration applies to both upstairs and downstairs. Examples of this include high ceilings and a wall of bookshelves designed to maximize work space utilization.
Taken as a whole, the lower floor contains a fully functional work space and offices, while the upper floor in and of itself is a complete home, consisting of two bedrooms with a bathroom en suite, a relaxing living room, kitchen and dining room.
The headboard in subdued bluish gray color separates the main bedroom area from the dressing room. High ceiling design creates a sense of space making the room feel light and airy.Rooms on the second floor are accessed via a wide corridor with room for a small dining space and a nook beside the wall offering peace and seclusion.The translucent sheet seen here is of polycarbonate, which allows light to pass through, but not exposed to the outside.
With respect to the office area, the floor plan is simple and straightforward. Electrical wiring is neatly installed and piped to various locations hidden from view. The pillars supporting the tall vertical structure of steel are evenly spaced for proper load bearing, while the building façades are made attractive by crisp clean lines.
For indoor thermal comfort, important aspects such as heat insulation, soundproofing, and ventilation are carefully thought out and incorporated in the design. In the fewest possible words, it’s all about attention to detail that makes this modern home office a perfect place to be. Brilliant!
The steel building looks lightweight. It’s made strong and durable using semi-industrial materials, an interesting way to refresh the home’s curb appeal.
/ Story: Otto Otto / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sungwan Phratem /
Concrete slabs and naked walls are commonplace in contemporary architecture. Here’s a modern house in Chiang Mai that illustrates this. The structure is built strong, using concrete columns and load bearing walls supporting a concrete slab floor on a framework of steel. What arouses one’s curiosity is the rigid structure and cantilevered steel frame integration that gives the home huge visual curb appeal plus the vintage nude wall texture.
Measuring 8 meters from front to back, the box-shape structure is built on the east-west alignment. Unusually long in relation to its width, the unyielding steel girder is fixed at only one end projecting into the open air, forming the upper covering of a carport situated directly below.
Next to the parking garage, a naked load bearing concrete wall shelters a storage room, a kitchen and private living space from the glare of afternoon sun.
The rigid cantilevered steel frame 8 meters in length forms the upper covering of the carport right underneath it.
There is visual continuity from the interior of the house to the poolside veranda and the courtyard at the far end.
The interior of the house features a spacious rectangular-shaped room that runs parallel to the poolside veranda, separated only by a clear glass wall.
The platform along the outside of the building is protected by a concrete slab jutting out about 2 meters from the exterior wall. The semi-outdoor room has plenty of space for a pantry, living area and workroom overlooking a lush green landscape.
An uncluttered multifunctional space looks out over the veranda and, beyond, the swimming pool.The entrance area boasts a light and airy open space with the doorway set aside to the left, unseen from this angle. The foyer on the right side opens to a poolside veranda.The master bedroom overlooks the swimming pool with a courtyard on the left and, beyond, the front yard by the carport.The L-shaped veranda floor is covered with tiles in cool grays with blue undertones that blend with the water surface. Overhead, a concrete slab extending from the wall serves awning that protects against too much sun and rain.
A few steps away from the general purpose room, you find a sharp 90-degree turn leading to a small bedroom with bathroom en suite tucked away in a quiet corner. At the farthest end lies a master bedroom, also with a poolside view.
From a technical perspective, it requires meticulous planning, great care and attention to detail to create a beautiful modern home like this one. And this house is a perfect example of that — a contemporary home that’s light, airy and comfortable plus a cantilevered steel frame that boosts its curb appeal.
In a nutshell, it’s a design that sends out a strong message. Human ingenuity has the power to overcome any obstacle, be it in life, design or engineering.
/ Story: Supachart Boontang / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Rithirong Chanthongsuk /
From the outside, this cube-shaped home with a swimming pool as the centerpiece looks like a combination of three overlapping boxes. Distinctive simple line design sets it apart from the rest in the neighborhood. The hall just inside the front entrance is well connected to all living spaces around it. Based on the form-follows-function principle, it’s thoughtfully devised to create a seamless transition from room to room, plus easy access to all intended functions and amenities.
The three-story white home with a cool undertone stands at the center of the property. Homeowner Thin Thin Lwin was on hand to show around. Asked about her thoughts on inspiration, she said:
“Just the two of us, my husband and I, live here. The home was built on what used to be a vacant lot. To begin with, we didn’t want a place that was going to be too big for our needs. We wanted just enough functional areas with easy access to other parts of the house, kind of like keeping with long established traditions from the past.
“By happy chance, I have a friend who is an architect, and the rest is history. Stephen Zawmoe Shwe and I have been good friends since we were kids. So we asked him to design it.”
The boundary fence made of concrete features large openings at intervals to improve the flow of air in and out of the property.An array of window awnings protruding from the exterior wall protect the interior from heavy rain and increase its energy efficiency.
Have a look around the first floor. The overall effect is impressive. The house with a subtle shade of white looks like three dimensional shapes coming together neat and clean. The interior at the front of the house is light and airy thanks to double height ceilings.
It’s two stories tall to be exact. There is a sense of interior elegance. The spacious, well-ventilated hall is well connected to other rooms around it. One of them, a living room, is clearly separated from the dining area and kitchen.
An outdoor louvered awning on the front façade protects the interior spaces from scorching sunlight and improves the home’s general appearance. The exterior is kept simple, modern, and fuss free.Just inside the front entrance, a stepping-stone pathway stretches across the pool. Double height ceilings and transparent partition walls make the atmosphere bright and lively.There is visual and spatial continuity from the cozy dining area all the way to the pool and beyond.
The second floor has two spacious bedrooms, each with a private balcony to take in the view and cool breezes. The swimming pool below is clearly visible from here.
Other than that, interior design emphasizes crisp, clean lines and white tones that go together well with shades of gray. Furniture comes in warm earth tones that enhance the charm of natural wood flooring.
Transparent glass walls create a warm, welcoming atmosphere in the bedroom. There are windows that open to improve air circulation and bring in cool breezes.
[Left] Louvered awnings under the roofline provide added privacy and protect the second-floor bedrooms from intense heat during the daytime. / [Right] Venetian blinds behind glass walls provide privacy in the bathroom and control natural light.The third floor is a penthouse with a panorama of the city landscape. A peaceful place for relaxation with family, it’s great for stargazing in the dark of night. There is a large Buddha room on one side, where the homeowners come to pray and perform religious rites.
A corner of the penthouse has been remodeled into a reception area with marble countertops and matching bar stools.
All things considered, it’s simple clean line design that makes this Cube-Shaped Home in Yangon stand out in the rustic old town neighborhood. Well-thought-out planning ensures there are plenty of functional areas and modern amenities for comfortable living. Plus, it’s energy efficient thanks to passive cooling strategies, such as large windows that open to bring in cool breezes and natural light.
Where appropriate, louvered awnings are installed to minimize the amount of sun on the exterior wall. They reduce the workload on air conditioning and make the home perform as intended amid the hot and humid climate.
/ Story: Wuthikorn Sut / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul /
Here are twin houses designed for twins. They stand separated, physically at least, by a lively green courtyard garden. In a subtle way, the small outdoor room serves to strengthen the unbreakable bond between the two sisters. It stands for cordial relationships and passion in the form of a shared space that gets used every day. Taken as a whole, it’s about finding the right balance in life, creating harmony between preserving family traditions and bringing joy to the home.
The homeowner twins, Chutima Bunnumkitsawat and Chutimon Siriwithayarat, are now married. They live in separate households that share the same compound. As may be expected, the twin residences look amazingly alike. But they are two distinct entities. So we asked, and they answered.
“Originally, we had planned on renovating the property to suit the lifestyle needs of an extended family. By chance, my husband came across one of the designs by the architect and contacted him right away. We got down to the business of planning in earnest while the city was hit by a big flood in 2011.” Chutima said.
Three families meet in the center court separating the two homes.
She said that her family has lived on this property for three generations now, meaning those of Mom and Dad, the twin sisters themselves, and now the little ones.
Asked about design inspirations, Chutima said: “We both have kids roughly the same age. So family living spaces have got to be clearly defined. Simply put, we are two separate households now.
“The new twin houses are set on the same compound. Mom and Dad can be with the kids here or there. Bottom line, our children will get to grow up together.”
Viewed from the outside, the twin residences boast architectural features typical of simple clean line design. A center court separates the two while striking similarities keep them very much together.
Chutimon said that despite being two separate entities, the twin houses are subtly tied to each other in so many ways.
The playroom-cum-recreational space features a raised wood deck. It serves as children playground and has since become the family’s favorite hangout place.
Behind the perceived sameness, there exist a fair amount of differences. With their permission, we took a look around and found some different details “in the fine print”.
First, their lifestyles subtly differ. Chutima’s home features a design with an emphasis on vertical treatments that embrace the value of the family’s intimate living spaces. Patches of greenery in the vertical garden protect the privacy of the living room and nearby patio. Lush foliage makes for comfortable interior living spaces.
Then, on the other side of the courtyard, Chutimon’s home boasts open and light interior design featuring ample horizontal spaces. Reminiscent of traditional Thai houses in former times, the family interior living spaces look out over the center courtyard. The bedroom has a spacious balcony that has become the family’s favorite relaxing spot.
The spacious balcony outside the bedroom.
The semi-outdoor space by Chutimon’s bedroom has an array tall windows that afford a cityscape panorama when opened. When closed, the swing shutters serve as privacy curtains protecting the intimate living space. People inside can see out through vertical wood strips in the window treatmens, while outsiders cannot see in.
The awesome twin-house complex is the brainchild of designers Natasas Jeenphund and Yupayong Chaikachornt, of Poetic Space Studio.
As they put it: “The two homes highlight simple, clean line design. I want them to appear as two distinct entities. It is kind of like two well-pruned trees thriving side by side.
“In the meantime, it’s not about being totally separated. Basically, the plan is based on a design principle that aims to keep the two families very much together.”
In a nutshell, it’s a design that strikes the perfect balance between smart land use planning and architectural styles. More importantly for the twin sisters, it’s testimony to passion and the longing to be together and cherish the relationships made in heaven.
An outdoor area adjoining Chutima’s house lies protected by a lively green vertical wall garden shielding the home from too much sun and prying eyes.
/ Story: Ajchara Jeenkram / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Soopakorn Srisakul /
This house among the trees is part of a suburban residential development nestled in a wooded area where calming fruit orchards once grew. It is comforting to know the developers have made every effort at preserving as many trees as they possibly could. Like so, the houses are built around mature trees that have long been there. Here’s one of them.
The cube-shaped façade looks out over the front yard. Large glass windows in wood casings stretch across the entire face of the building. To let nature permeate, patches of greenery occupy every open space including the rooftop deck.
The cube-shaped façade looks out over the front yard. Large glass windows in wood casings stretch across the entire face of the building. To reconnect with nature, patches of greenery occupy every open space including the rooftop deck. Meanwhile, open concept floor plans allow abundant natural light. The positioning of windows and other features ensures minimum consumption of electricity, which translates into big savings. More than anything else, it’s about building a relationship with the natural world.
“Tanah Teduh” is the name of the housing development. It’s a reminder of the residential projects where a large number of houses of similar design are built closer together, creating a friendly neighborhood in which everybody knows everybody.
Here, all the residential units have access to common areas via both front and back doors. Well-thought out design ensures security is achievable without sacrificing privacy. Taken as a whole, the housing development is situated on 21 Rai of land (roughly 8.3 acres) that once upon a time was a thriving fruit orchard.
Exterior walls covered in coat-button vines help cool down the interior living spaces.
Inspired by the need for nature conservation, the project developer offers only 20 modern houses with a view of the lush garden landscape. The privacy of its residents takes priority over any other matter. But the beauty of the landscape is important, too. So, instead of building boundary walls that can be unpleasant to look at, the homes are kept separate from each other by green hedges and other smart architectural hacks.
It takes a team of top ten Indonesian designers to make this housing development exceptionally good. To avoid repetition, the front façade varies from one unit to the next, and each unit is a signature of an individual designer.
A relaxing multi-use room in the front part of the house. The sliding door and exterior wall are glazed using clear glass to take in the garden view and ensure there’s plenty of natural light in the house.
Oranat Pernquist is the owner of the house that we visited on this housing development. A Thai lady who has come to call Jakarta home, she welcomed our editorial team to take a look around. Overall, the home was beautiful, well-designed, and nicely decorated.
Andra Matin, the designer and project director, sure did a good job at it. He put in a small center courtyard to let nature pervade throughout the home. Natural light and correct building orientation were taken into account, resulting in well-connected, warm, and inviting interior living spaces.
Meanwhile, the external envelope showcased the charm of modern design, something akin to the works made famous by world-renowned architect Le Corbusier, but with an Asian outlook.
The dining room features a large wood table capable of seating 6 to 8. The table and chairs are made to order from Jakarta. Glass-front armoires in the backdrop are imported from Thailand.
The house has two wings. The ground floor of the first building offers a good-sized sitting room, dining area and kitchen. Glass siding fills the entire exterior wall on one side, making the center court clearly visible from within. The second floor holds a home office, while the third is a sundeck converted into a sky garden.
The kitchen is connected to the dining room. A utility table on wheels compensates for the absence of a kitchen island. The center courtyard can be seen in full view from here, thanks to glass siding that stretches across the exterior walls.
The second building also has two levels with multi-use spaces on the first floor. The second floor contains a sitting room with access to the garden. It’s decorated with a sofa in soft hues and a set of table and chairs. There is a park bench made of concrete for relaxation in the outdoors.
The perimeter wall made of perforate cement blocks not only protect from the sun’s harsh glare but also allows air circulation. Breathe block design adds modern curb appeal to the home.
The designer is passionate about Thai-modern design that’s evident in the interior decorated with simple materials. They include real wood, bare concrete walls in lighter shades and a perforate shell. Every living space is designed for specific use. It looks uncluttered and opens to let nature permeate.
Oranat said that her other half, Anders Pernquist, traveled abroad for business often and brought home beautiful objects from Italy, Taiwan, and India. She wrapped it up nicely: “Anders is responsible for purchasing,” and she for installation. No wonder home interior design is so full of life.
The master bedroom on the third floor has floor-to-ceiling windows and wood flooring in glossy finishes. Different materials serve as boundary markers among the internal spaces. The en suite bathroom showcases fine-stone terrazzo flooring with a dressing room and walk-in closet.
“Anders likes Asian style handicrafts. Works produced in this region are beautifully crafted. We have glass-front armoires with superb wood carving imported from Thailand, area rugs from India, and other pieces that are made to order in Jakarta,” said Oranat.
“Our collections come from various parts of the world. They remind us of our long journey.”
The bedroom overlooking the courtyard has a wooden bed with area rugs and bed cover in complementing hues from India. A birch veneer IKEA chair adds Scandinavian vies to the room.Wall openings keep the interior well-lit by natural daylight. The architect put this opening in the kitchen on purpose to take in the views.
Marketing/Advertising Cookies – used to remember and process the relevance to your website visit in order to personalize contents shown including optimization of commercial advertising placements. For instances, we use this type of cookies to display commercial advertisements related to user’s attributes and interests as well as to limit how many times should a user see repeated advertisement in order to optimize and measure marketing activities. อ่านเพิ่มเติม
![[Left] To make good use of daylight, a small skylight is cut in the upstairs bathroom. / [Right] The main staircase projects out from the wall. Light cream-colored genuine wood paneling and a clear glass railing make the stair look light, as if floating.](https://livingasean.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/011-5-1024x730.jpg)
